England Manager - Nick Mallett???

Anyone else read Jake White's autobiography? Not sure I want Nick Mallett as England manager now....control freak, unapproachable, and divorced from players!!!
Ouch...

we need to have english coach if lancaster does well he should have it when he been in charge of saxons squads before they done well and play good rugby

SL doing well with a young team full of players learning how to understand eachother and play at this level is very unlikely....he is making all the right noises and Stu lancaster has the potential to be a great coach given time, but when we lose a few games (and we will) the fans, media and rfu will turn, his head will roll and we will start again from square one.

Nope come april time a more famous foreign coach will be selected by some ridiculous central london high powered recruitment consultant (that knows f-all about rugby!) and given a nice long contract and potentially is much worse for england rugby. While english SL will be chucked out cause he didn't win the grand slam at his first attempt and a couple of weeks training...despite the respect he has from the players and his views on ethics, coaching, selection and style of play.....

I think a couple of wins and decent performances in the other games will be enough to get him the job. Nobody expects England to get anywhere near the GS this season.

OK, kind of missing the point there, but never mind.

Never really been that keen on the idea of Mallet as England coach, if we do want a foriegner there's far better out there. Or wait and see how Stuart goes then look for a coach if needed. Or maybe just a big name (if we have to have a big name) as team manager?

yappy,

Haven't they already announced that the new manager will be revealed before the end of the 6 Nations, or did I read that wrong?

I think it would have only been fair on Lancaster to have at least given him the summer tour as well before deciding but I alos reckon that no matter how well he does in the 6 Nations the RF want the marque signing/name to hang their hat on.

Like Martin Johnson? I think the RFU will be pragmatic about this.

Lancaster's is only a caretaker. They've been very clear about it (probably due to the last caretaker coach). He's welcome to apply for the job but it's not his if he does well or anything like that.

Bedford, I think they said they definitely wanted to have appointed someone by the end of the 6 nations at the latest.

Been bugging me for a while, might as well ask now- why are England the only side to call their coach the manager? Is it the same thing (and if so why the separate reference?) or is there no such thing as a head coach's position in England?

Knowsit17 wrote:Been bugging me for a while, might as well ask now- why are England the only side to call their coach the manager? Is it the same thing (and if so why the separate reference?) or is there no such thing as a head coach's position in England?

Martin Johnson is the only one whose job title actually was Manager, I think. SCW was head coach. The word 'manager' is just embedded in people's consciousness because of football I'd guess, but the RFU are definitely looking for a Head Coach this time.

Johnson was never appointed to coach. He was to manage the coaching team. However he got more involved in that side as he couldn't help himself.

Before Martin Johnson was appointed coach/manager, i thought that Either Nick Mallet or Jake White, would be the best coach for England.

But since MJ quit before he was pushed, and they have brought in Stuart Lancaster, who is a qualified coach, they the RFU would be stupid to appoint any one else before the 6ns is over.

Stuare Lancaster should be given a chance to see what he can/cannot do, in the time he as been given.-If he does well (wins the 6ns) then he should be given the job full time imo.

However if he does not do so well, then they will be doing the right thing for once. (not keeping a coach) who is not has good as they thought he was.

Mallet does absolutely nothing for me....

Plenty of good coaches out there...

But you cant have Deano...hes coming to rebuild the falcons to an English powerhouse!

The managers role was specificaly different to that of head coach.
It came about because of a review of what happened under Ashton ( irony there?)

They wanted someone who was going to be the public face of the team and effectively be the captain off the field and head selecter. The manager also repsonsible for organising the coaches, but what they actually coached was down to them...whereas under a head coach the training plans came down and were implemented by the coaches (who apparently hated this)

Now they are looking more at getting an RFU figure detatched form the team who the Head Coach reports directly to and who hires and fires the staff. In theory this wont be Rob Andrew, but lets wait and see if he wiggles back over or not.

Lancaster has applied fore the job, he will be judged partly on the 6 nations and how much brown nosing he does. Im less than convinced by him, but we will see.

Havent read Jake Whites book, I thought Mallet was a solid contender. Both Ashotn and Johnson have been accussed of being too close and to soft on the players. Who knows.

yappysnap wrote:Never really been that keen on the idea of Mallet as England coach, if we do want a foriegner there's far better out there. Or wait and see how Stuart goes then look for a coach if needed. Or maybe just a big name (if we have to have a big name) as team manager?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but Nick's birth cert gives a location in England as the place of his birth. I'd assume English parents too. He's well qualified to be a non-foreign English coach.

Really?? Well it just shows you shouldn't assume things. Either way i'd prefer some of the other contenders out there

I'm not sure about his parentage - but he also came back to do postgraduate study at Oxford.

Mallet is a very good coach, and not as far removed from his players as Jake White wants you to believe.

Werner (smilie) Swanepoel, is related to my sister's ex husband. He had oodles of respect for Nick Mallet and his methodology.

I would rather have a strict coach than a buddy, buddy coach.

One of Mallett's major strengths is that he's a great motivator and talker. While Johnson was a motivator, i don't think he ever was intelligent enough to be an international coach/manager.
I'm not sure if Mallett would be able to do recreate that with an English team. Would he have the same reason to be passionate, do the English players react the same as Italy or SA?

With SA he had every reason to be passionate because he is South African whether or not he was born in England.
And with Italy you could see the bond that he created with the players especially after the win against France.

I have always liked Mallett's style when i've seen him interviewed, and I think he'd be a good option to coach England. My only problem with him is this: is he at the cutting edge of coaching?

What I feel England need, is a coach with a modern vision of coaching and playing, not a re-hash of old ideas put onto the field with new players. Say what you like about SCW but he was always trying new things and implementing new ideas, some didn't work but some did. His philosophy was open-minded if it meant being the best and giving England an edge. That is the sort of style we need again.

Perhaps someone with the attacking vision of Brian Ashton, but the engagement and inspiration of someone like SCW. Wayne Smith I feel deserves to be looked at pretty hard. But who else in coaching is there who fits the bill?

"Lancaster has applied fore the job, he will be judged partly on the 6 nations and how much brown nosing he does. Im less than convinced by him, but we will see. "

Why this comment? You must be the first person to start denigrating Lancaster and he hasn't even finished his first training session yet. This early negativity is staggering. It should be a contender for the Guinness Book of Records.

englandglory4ever wrote:"Lancaster has applied fore the job, he will be judged partly on the 6 nations and how much brown nosing he does. Im less than convinced by him, but we will see. "

Why this comment? You must be the first person to start denigrating Lancaster and he hasn't even finished his first training session yet. This early negativity is staggering. It should be a contender for the Guinness Book of Records.

So what did the negativity about Johnson get into then?

Am i not allowed to feel aprehensive about a school PE teacher running the England side? Or does that upset your sensibilities? Its not like hes goign to read this and have to get a supply teacher to cover for him whilst he takes 6 months off due to teh stress its caused.

If saying " im yet to be convinnced" is the worst anyone has to say about him hes getting a pretty easy ride by England manager standards. All Ive seen form him so far is a lot of theory, Ill be convinced when I see results.

"If saying " im yet to be convinnced" is the worst anyone has to say about him hes getting a pretty easy ride by England manager standards. All Ive seen form him so far is a lot of theory, Ill be convinced when I see results."

That really is a schoolboy stating the obvious type of comment. After a few weeks playing in the 6Ns we will all know more about SL but for now where has the negativity come from? He's made a great start by anyone's standards but yes, there is still a long road ahead and things can change but for now he's doing just fine.

GH was a school head master - he did alright

In my view if Nick Mallet is appointed as england's manager it will be good for them, I would expect a much better period for English rugby and much more conisistency at top level.

If there is one SA coach/manager I wouldn't want to compete against it is Nick Mallet.

I certainly agree Nick Mallet would be a vary good coach. Looking at his recent performance with Italy, I think he did very well. But I can't help thinking the major Rugby nations should have home grown Head Coaches. The normal progression of players is up to the National teams and that should be the same for coaches. Despite appearances to the contrary, I remain convinced we all have sufficient coaching talent in each of our countries. The idea of an England soccer team with a coach who can barely speak English is the ultimate.

Lancaster has the benefit of an on the job evaluation. Speculating about other coaches is a bit, well, theoretical. So, we shall see. I am not so aprehensive about how he will coach (I think he is a good coach), than I am about the squad selection itself. Are all the young, uncapped guys in the EPS for the experience? Or will they populate half the starting slots? And what is the right balance? I can't wait to see.

Grey,

That theories great but where does one come from? Is there a stand out English coach? First person to say Sean Edwards gets a slap

I think also England these days see international rugby as very differnet to club rugby ( where half the job is working out how to dodge the salary cap, making transfers etc)

For the England job their focus is on finding someone who has global experience of the game, and undertsands how the tri nations sides operate. Obviously Jeff coaches will be studying the S15 and Tri nations sides games and how they approach rugby but an International coach who has been the one applying that in pratcise and has first hand expereince with the sdies we want toi emaulte would be preferable.

The idea that someone who is just very English can come in a be a success was surely bunked by Robinson, Ashton, and Johnson. Although I underatnd thats not what youre saying .
The approach has been to grow coaches within the England /RFU setup and ignore the premiership. It hasnt worked though has it. If Lancaster doesnt work out should we look to the Premiership? Mallinder? Or to a guy like Mallet?

Dr. Grey, the opposite could also be true, regardless of home grown coaching talent. Mallet might just bring something new to the table.

It is wirth the risk.

I get that, mate. But it seems to be all too common for NH teams to be looking at coaches/managers from outside their nations. Three, and soon possibly four, of the the Six nations teams will be coached by non-home grown coaches. At some point there should be internal progressions to the national squads for coaches. As with players this shows a true potential career path for coaches. And the face of the National team is from the Rugby national.

Sometimes it seems to me that although some coaches, such as Nick Mallet, are highly qualified, they are selected partially for the political expediency of not forcing a sticky selection from amongst the home grown coaches.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Grey,

That theories great but where does one come from? Is there a stand out English coach? First person to say Sean Edwards gets a slap

Feck no. Not saying that.

I understand your point. You want a coach with a track record of performance now (hard to argue with that!). But I think we have to grow 'em. Just like players. And if not now, then when?

I get the Nick Mallet choice. At some level I would be very happy with him, and would expect good results. But when do we cut the cord? I'm a Saints fan and are not 100% convinced about Jim Mallinder as the England Head Coach. But there must be someone, or some people, being groomed at some point to have a shot to take the reins.

doctor_grey wrote:

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Grey,

That theories great but where does one come from? Is there a stand out English coach? First person to say Sean Edwards gets a slap

Feck no. Not saying that.

I understand your point. You want a coach with a track record of performance now (hard to argue with that!). But I think we have to grow 'em. Just like players. And if not now, then when?

I get the Nick Mallet choice. At some level I would be very happy with him, and would expect good results. But when do we cut the cord? I'm a Saints fan and are not 100% convinced about Jim Mallinder as the England Head Coach. But there must be someone, or some people, being groomed at some point to have a shot to take the reins.

Well I guess that woudl be Farrel assuming we dont win 2015 ..... prior to that ?


Maybe sometimes we just build up the England manager to be too big and too improtnat a job, like we want a world cup winner to come in and do it again, ratehr than making a new world cup winning coach.